


Act Of Love

by lumassen



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: M/M, Merry Christmas Grim!!, its so soppy I'm sorry lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:14:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28266723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lumassen/pseuds/lumassen
Summary: After 5 years of dating, it's finally time to meet the in laws. But Both Ludwig and Berwald have a surprise for one another.
Relationships: Germany/Sweden (Hetalia)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 13
Collections: Nordictalia Secret Santa





	Act Of Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GrimAnonymousRex](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrimAnonymousRex/gifts).



> Merry Christmas Grim! I hope you like this, I had so much fun writing it for you! <3
> 
> Lots of love,
> 
> \- Elliott

“You worry too much.” 

Berwald sat at the kitchen table, a mug of coffee between curled fingers while he followed Ludwig with his eyes as he paced the kitchen.

“I’m not worried, I just want it to be perfect.” Ludwig said, pausing his pacing to stop and look at Berwald, his hands firmly on his hips and brows knitted. At this, Berwald scoffed into his mug and couldn’t help but chuckle between sips.

“It  _ won’t _ be perfect, an’ you know it. Not ‘cause of anything you did, but just cause meeting parents is awkward. There’s an unwritten rule of society ‘bout it.” he mumbled into his mug, then gently put it down onto the coaster when Ludwig slumped heavily into the empty chair opposite with a thump. 

“I dunno why you’re makin’ such a big deal out of it anyway.” Berwald continued with a shrug when he could see that Ludwig was running his hands through his hair and pulling at the roots between his fingers, a tell tale sign that he was worried about something - no matter how much he denied it.

It was Christmas eve, and tomorrow would be the first time that Ludwig had ever met Berwald’s parents who’d decided to fly over from Malmö for the holidays this year. They’d be staying until New Years Day, and although Berwald was a little apprehensive himself, especially after not seeing his parents for at least two years, there was nothing more that he could want for christmas than to introduce the love of his life and partner of 5 years to his family. 

“Sorry,” Ludwig said through a sigh, “I don’t mean to. You know what I’m like by now though.”

Nudging Berwald playfully under the table with a slipper clad foot to his shin, Ludwig was smiling despite his worries.

“Anyway, I’d better go down. Lots to do today.” 

Getting up from the table, Ludwig stretched and stifled a yawn before he left the room to get his apron and shoes on. 

With reluctance, Berwald too got up from his chair and quickly loaded the dishwasher before following his boyfriend into their bedroom. The cat was sprawled out on the end of the bed, and Berwald spent a moment or two fussing over her, rubbing at her fuzzy belly as she stretched into a slither of winter sunlight that had crept in through the blinds as though it would be warm.

“Are you still heading out then? Joining the crazy last minute shoppers?” Ludwig said, glancing at Berwald from here he sat on the bed behind him through the mirror while he neatly pushed his hair back from his face. He had a smirk plastered on his lips, and once he caught sight of it Berwald flopped back on the bed and exhaled sharply.

“Mm. There’s something I need to do. But I won’t be long.” 

“Well, you’re braver than me.” 

Putting the comb down onto the dresser, Ludwig then began to fiddle with the ties of his apron. Propping himself up on his elbows, Berwald watched him for a moment before shuffling to the end of the bed and beckoned for Ludwig to come away from the mirror and over to him.

“Here. Let me.” He said, gently taking the ties from Ludwigs hands as he stood between Berwald’s parted legs at the end of the bed. 

Despite it being Christmas Eve and the rest of the working world was winding down for the Christmas period, Ludwig was busier than ever running his bakery below their shared flat. 

_Der Teig_ had only been open for just little over a year, and so this had been his first Christmas as a bakery owner. It had been tough, both mentally, physically and financially, but Berwald couldn’t be prouder of what his boyfriend had achieved. Around his full time career as a police officer, Berwald had helped as much as he could, but Ludwig had done most things all by himself and was what most new business owners aspired to be.

Smiling fondly as he knotted the bow at the back of Ludwig’s apron, Berwald took his hand from where it was dangling loosely by his side before standing up from the bed. 

“Will you be back for lunch?” Ludwig asked, turning to face Berwald and slipped his hand around the back of his head, slowly drawing a circle at the back of his neck. Leaning into his touch, Berwald shook his head.

“Don’t think so. Depends on traffic. But I’ll let ya know.” 

Ludwig nodded, then leant in to leave a peck on Berwald’s lips. Even after all these years, every kiss no matter how fleeting still left Berwald feeling even more hopelessly in love.

“Well, I’ll see you later then. Call me if you’ll be back for lunch. If not, I’ll work through.” 

The warmth of Ludwig’s hand disappeared as it slipped away from the back of Berwald’s neck, then he left the room, calling goodbye one more time through the apartment. Berwald waited until the door leading down the back stairs to the bakery had clicked closed behind him, then raced through the hall to snatch his coat from the hook. In haste, he shoved his feet into his shoes, slid his arms into his coat and patted his pockets to check for phone, keys, wallet, then flung the door open and stepped out onto the balcony. 

Snow had been falling all night and all morning, and so now a thick layer had settled on the ground. Berwald had barely walked around the corner to the carpark and his shoes were already soaked through, but he’d already spent too much time sitting around all morning and hiding his nerves and pretending to be reluctant to go out into the madness that was the city on Christmas Eve to go back and change them now. 

After unlocking the car, Berwald slid in and turned the key in the ignition. He sat for a moment holding his hands against the vent as warm air blew over them and waited for the windows to clear of condensation. It was in that moment, while he sat and stared off out of the window at the wooden sign that was just visible on the corner of the wall of the bakery swaying gently in the wind, that he realised just exactly the scale of what he was planning. His stomach churned and his heart leapt up into his throat, but not from fear, or anxiety, or stress, but instead from a sudden overwhelming excitement that if all went well, he’d be able to introduce Ludwig to his parents as not just his boyfriend, but his fiancé. 

Traffic into the city was already backed up, and no doubt every car in front of Berwald contained at least one last minute shopper. The wipers squeaked across the windshield, loud and repetitive enough to be heard over the cheesy Christmas song on the radio. But Berwald couldn’t help but sing along under his breath as he inched through the city until finally he was able to turn off the main road and head down a side street to the jewellers. 

Berwald parked the car and hopped from one foot to the other impatiently while he waited for the machine to print out his parking ticket, then after quickly tossing it onto the dashboard he left the car and hurried for the jewellers.

At the front of the jewellers, the windows were illuminated with twinkly christmas lights. The light caught on the beautiful pieces in the window display, making them look even more desirable. As Berwald pushed the door open, the bell chimed above him and the assistant looked up from the necklace he was inspecting, a pair of magnified glasses causing his eyes to bulge from behind them rather comically until he took them off.

“Ah, hello! Merry Christmas! Are you here to pick up the ring?” he said, blinking a few times as he hopped off his stool. 

“Hi Timo. Merry Christmas. Yes, I am. Is it ready?”

Pulling his gloves off and shoving them into his coat pocket, Berwald gingerly approached the counter and watched as Timo flashed him a wide smile and nodded enthusiastically.

“Yep! I finished it off last night. Let me go and get it.”

Before Berwald could even begin to thank Timo for his troubles, he’d already disappeared into the back, leaving him standing looking around the shop, wringing his hands a little nervously.

Berwald had planned to propose for well over a year now, but saving up to buy a ring had taken longer than he thought, what with supporting Ludwig and his bakery. Every spare penny he had he’d put into the fund to open the shop, and couldn’t exactly tell Ludwig why he was saving a large sum when it was needed for their business. Then, once he’d gotten the ring a month ago he realised he’d gotten the wrong size and that it would be too small. In a panic, he’d called every jeweller in the city to book in an alteration. They’d all either been too busy and booked up for christmas gift sales and appointments to fit him in, or had been ridiculously expensive. That is, until he called _Densen and Co_ _Vanity Jewels_ and spoke to Timo.

“I was up into the night working on it for you, and I had to set a stone to disguise the join. I hope you don’t mind.”

Timo came out from the back, a navy blue satin ring box in his hand, and Berwald felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle. 

“‘Course not. You did what you could to fit me in. Appreciate it more than you know.” he said as he approached the counter, standing opposite Timo on the other side.

“Well, what can I say. I’m a bit of a romantic, and the thought of you having to wait a whole year for the chance again to propose on Christmas Eve didn’t sit well with me.” Timo grinned, setting the ring box down on the glass counter and slid it to Berwald. 

Berwald glanced at Timo’s own wedding band as he took his hand away, made of thin silver that was now dulled from years of obvious wear, and couldn’t help but imagine how Ludwigs hand would look with the ring he’d picked out. 

Picking up the box, he opened it slowly and felt his heart leap into his throat at the sight of it once more.

“I engraved your initials on the underside like you asked, and the stone is a simple white diamond. I made sure that it wasn’t set bigger than the edges of the band, and that it didn’t look too flashy. I know people associate stones with more feminine rings but I thought that-”

“It’s perfect.”

Berwald stopped Timo’s rambling as a smile cracked across his face. He didn’t take his eyes from the ring, but heard Timo let out a short sigh of relief. The gold colour of the ring looked well against the dark blue of the box, and Berwald looked at it for just a little while longer before snapping it shut and setting it back down on the counter.

“It really is perfect. Thank you.” he said, but Timo waved a hand and scoffed.

“Nah, it’s nothing. The ring was beautiful in itself, I didn’t add much. You picked a really gorgeous one, I’m sure he’ll love it.”

While Timo rang up the bill, Berwald made idle chit chat with him until the bill was settled and the ring firmly in his coat pocket. Then after wishing him good luck with the proposal, Timo bid him goodbye and Berwald stepped back out into the cold.

He couldn’t exactly go back home empty handed after supposedly going on a last minute shopping trip, so Berwald gritted his teeth and pushed out onto the main street into the crowd to make a few purchases. 

A box of chocolates for his mother, a new pair of leather driving gloves for his father, and a bottle of champagne to drink over dinner later, Berwald set off for home. 

In his haste to get away from the bustle of the city and back to the peace for quiet of his home, Berwald hadn’t thought to call Ludwig to let him know that he’d make it back just in time for his lunch hour. When he pulled up back in the carpark beside the bakery, he frowned at the rental car that had taken up his parking space. Exhaling sharply, Berwald parked in the spot furthest away from the shop and glanced around at the two other unfamiliar cars that had squeezed onto the carpark too. 

With a strong mind to take the registration plates down and complain to the rental company that whoever had rented them out had parked on private property, Berwald trudged through the snow that had easily gotten an inch deeper since he’d left earlier on. Upon walking around the corner, voices and laughter could be heard from inside the bakery, and Berwald felt his heart swell a little in pride at the store being so busy full of happy customers. 

But when he opened the door and stepped inside, he stopped in the doorway and his mouth gaped.

“ _ Mein herz _ , you’re back?” Ludwig’s face turned bright red as his eyes darted between the faces of the others in the room.

Still standing in the doorway, Berwald stood rigid, staring at the faces of not just his parents, but his entire family, some whom he hadn’t seen in years - even his grandparents.

He was nearly knocked off his feet when his sister flung her arms around his neck, and with teary eyes he returned her embrace, burying his face within her hair.

“Merry Christmas, Ber.” she whispered between sobs, and when Berwald opened his eyes to look over his shoulder he could see the rest of his family waiting for their turn to greet him. 

\-------

After much chatting and introducing each family member to Ludwig, it was growing dark by the time everyone had settled down. The majority of Berwald’s family had retreated upstairs to the apartment that definitely wasn’t big enough for ten people to all sit together, but they would make do. 

“Are you two coming up?” Berwald’s mother asked, smiling fondly at her son with one foot on the bottom step ready to follow everyone up.

Ludwig nodded and was just about to answer her when Berwald spoke over him.

“In a minute, Ma, just got somethin’ I need to do first.” he said while taking hold of Ludwigs hand and slipping his fingers between his.

“Okay, don’t be too long.” 

Squeezing Berwald’s hand affectionately, Ludwig turned to Berwald once his mother had reached the top of the stairs and the door to the apartment had closed behind her.

“Sorry it wasn’t much of a surprise, but I did ask you to call ahead.” Ludwig teased, letting go of Berwald’s hand to instead snake his arm around his waist and pull him a little closer. 

“Was still a surprise. A shock, even. How’d ya manage it?” 

Berwald spoke softly and shook his head in disbelief, still unsure how Ludwig managed to convince his 89 year old Grandfather to board a plane for the first time in his life. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat,

“It must have cost so much, getting them all here. I just- I haven’t seen Lucia for  _ years _ . I missed her so much, you don’t know how much this means to me-”

“Yes, I do.” Ludwig interjected, his own eyes ear brimming with tears, “and that’s why it doesn’t matter how much it all cost. To get all of your family here with you was the best thing I could do to show you much much I love you.” 

Ludwig began to bring Berwald in closer, and moved his head so that his jaw grazed against Berwalds, but before he could second guess himself and let his nerves get the better of him, Berwald pulled away.

“What’s wrong?” Ludwig questioned, a look of hurt flashing across his face, “Did I do something?”

A tear had escaped and was rolling down Berwald’s cheek now, and he hurried to reassure Ludwig by placing one hand on his shoulder while the other reached into his pocket for the ring box. He held it between his fingers for a moment, his mind racing.

“This isn’t exactly how I planned to do this, and I’m not the best with words, you know that better than anyone, but luckily there’s a way that I can show ya just how much I love you without needin’ too many of ‘em.” 

Hesitantly, Berwald took the ring box out of his pocket, and almost immediately he felt Ludwigs shoulder tense under his hand as he caught sight of it.

“Berwald-” he began, his voice cracking a little as his hand flew up to his face and over his mouth, but no other words left his throat as Berwald knelt shakily down on one knee, opening the ring box as he went down.

“Ludwig Beilshmidt. Will you do me the honour of becoming my husband?”

Voices and happy chatter could be heard from above, and a couple stopped walking past the window of the bakery to stare in and look at Berwald and Ludwig, but neither of them paid any attention. The rest of the world was invisible, and in that moment it was just the two of them. 

Dropping to his knees beside Berwald, Ludwig embraced him tighter than he could ever remember doing before so that they were nothing but a heap of tears and emotions on the floury wooden floor of the bakery.  _ Their _ bakery. Their home. 

“Of course I will!” Ludwig said into Berwald’s neck, his voice muffled and hands trembling.

“Jag älskar dig.” Berwald whispered, smiling against his fiance’s chest so widely that his cheeks ached.

“Ich liebe dich.”

It turns out everything was perfect, after all.


End file.
